Cliffsbane Flight Academy

Cliffsbane Flight Academy was the Poromish equivalent of Basgiath War College, dedicated to the training of gryphon fliers and Poromiel’s military elite. Situated in Zolya, Braevick’s second-most populous city, it represented the heart of Poromish air power. At its height, the academy housed around 300 cadets across its branches.

Cliffsbane Flight Academy cultivated a culture of honor, discipline, and resilience, shaped by centuries of Poromish tradition. Training began later than in Navarre—at age 21 instead of 20—and emphasized cooperation within drifts of gryphon fliers. Uniforms distinguished ranks and branches: cadets wore light-brown leathers embroidered with identifying symbols, while full fliers wore dark-brown flight gear. Graduation was marked with the awarding of a gem, worn close to the heart, a symbol of mastery but also a reminder of the dangers of losing control.

A central rite of passage was the Harvest, Cliffsbane Flight Academy’s version of Threshing. Candidates leapt from the cliffs overlooking the river, attempting to land on and bond with a gryphon. Those who succeeded became fliers; those who failed often joined infantry or artillery branches, ensuring that every cadet served Poromiel’s military.

Branches & Training

• Fliers Branch: The primary branch, training gryphon-bonded fliers within drifts. Entry required success at the Harvest.
• Infantry Branch: Ground-based fighters, often composed of cadets who failed to bond.
• Artillery Branch: Specialists in long-range combat and siege weaponry, another path for failed fliers.

Traditions

• Harvest: A dangerous rite where candidates jumped from the cliffs into drifts of gryphons. Success meant bonding; failure meant surviving the plunge into the river and transferring into another branch. Unlike Basgiath’s brutal Threshing, Harvest emphasized worthiness without certain death.
• Graduation Gem: Fliers received a gem at graduation, meant to symbolize their bond and skill. If they hadn’t mastered control, the gem could make their power unstable instead of strengthening it.

Cliffsbane Flight Academy’s destruction marked a turning point in Poromiel’s struggle against the venin. When Zolya fell and venin occupied the academy, only about 100 cadets survived, later sheltered in Cordyn under Viscount Tecarus. These survivors would become crucial to the Revolution’s strength after being integrated and trained alongside defecting riders in Aretia. Cliffsbane’s fall not only crippled Poromiel’s defenses but also underscored the growing dominance of the venin in Braevick.